


Where the Burn Marks Form

by gotatheory



Series: Flicker Beat Verse [7]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Love From OQ 2020, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:14:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22709080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gotatheory/pseuds/gotatheory
Summary: Maleficent's ex-girlfriend comes to Storybrooke.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Maleficent/Robin Hood, Maleficent/Original Character
Series: Flicker Beat Verse [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/779808
Comments: 7
Kudos: 9





	Where the Burn Marks Form

**Author's Note:**

> For [Carissa](https://twitter.com/trinaadeckers)! Happy Valentine's Day, lovely <3
> 
> Unfortunately, I got the flu, so this is just part one of idk quite how many parts yet. But still, did you ever think this day would come? The day when FINALLY Calida would see the light of day? XD I hope you enjoy it, and I'm sorry that it's not finished yet. I'll try and get the next part out as soon as I can!
> 
> The role of Maleficent’s ex-girlfriend will be played by [Cate Blanchett](http://www.cate-blanchett.com/pictures/albums/films/2018%20Oceans%208/On%20Set/2016-10-24-NY/oceans8-ny-oct24-2016-110.jpg). Spiritual sequel to that one chapter where Mal comes so hard she breathes fire ([link](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6316768/chapters/18115333)). Title paraphrased from a Mountain Goats song.

Regina hears the screams of terror in the streets outside of her office, just barely makes out the shout of _DRAGON! DRAAAAGON!_ that sounds very much like Leroy’s loud mouth, and she’s confused. With two dragons taking up permanent residence in Storybrooke, she thought the town would be used to seeing them in the air, and surely they knew Mal and Lily well enough to know they wouldn’t hurt them. Nonetheless, there is a commotion in her town, and Regina peeks out of her window to get an idea of what is going on. She catches a glimpse of the dragon, but it’s enough — whoever this dragon is, it’s not her lover or her daughter.

This dragon looks different, the shape of the wings all wrong and the coloring is off. Instead of the inky darkness of Mal’s or Lily’s scales, this dragon is dark green and bronze, glittering like jade in the sun.

Her phone vibrates on her desk, tearing her thoughts away from this newcomer, and she’s unsurprised to see that it’s Emma calling. “Yes, Sheriff, I know,” Regina says when she answers, beating Emma’s, _Regina, there is a_ dragon _in Storybrooke_. “Several of them, in fact,” she points out, sounding calmer than she actually feels.

“Regina!” Emma sounds a little stressed over this, and Regina doesn’t blame her. Dragons aren’t easy to deal with, and she has no idea who this one is or how they got here or what they want with this town.

She’s fairly sure she never interacted with other dragons besides Mal in the Enchanted Forest. So she doesn’t think this can be blamed on her, for once.

“I’m going to call Mal,” Regina tells Emma, hanging up before the sheriff can really respond. She selects Mal’s name as she heads out of her office, reaching the streets just as Mal picks up the call. People run by her, screaming, but she stands her ground, watching as the dragon circles the air, occasionally letting loose a breath of fire.

It seems more like a show than an actual threat, but she doesn’t like it no matter what it is.

“Regina?” Mal doesn’t sound surprised. She must know about their visitor already. “Where are you?”

“Outside City Hall,” she replies. “Where’s Robin and Lily?”

“Robin’s in the forest. Lily is at her apartment. The boys are still at school?”

Regina nods, says, “Yeah,” and tries to tamp down the worry that splinters through her. The boys are okay, Snow is there, she’ll protect them. There isn’t much Snow can do against a dragon, admittedly, but she will worry about that if the dragon gets too close to the school. As it is, the dragon seems unconcerned with much of anything. “You’re with Thalia?”

Mal’s voice goes soft in that way it always does when they speak of their youngest. “Yes, she’s in my arms.”

“There’s a dragon in Storybrooke,” she adds, trying to sound casual about it. In retrospect, it’s hardly the strangest thing to happen to the town. “A friend of yours?”

“I’m not sure. But I can come and see if they are.”

“That’d be much appreciated,” Regina says, and Mal’s already telling her, “I’ll drop the baby off with Snow, and be right there.”

She’s barely hung up before Mal appears next to her in a puff of smoke. Regina smiles at the sight of her, can’t resist taking her hand and squeezing it.

But Maleficent’s eyes are entirely focused on the dragon in the air, and a slight frown turns her lips down.

“What is it, Mal? Do you know who that is?” she asks, and Mal’s nodding.

“Yes. She’s my ex,” she replies with a heavy sigh. Smoke gathers at her feet, her eyes turning more reptilian as she begins to shift. Before it covers her completely, she says, “I’ll take her to the forest and find out how she got here.”

Regina’s still trying to wrap her head around Maleficent’s words — _she’s my ex_ — to fully comprehend the rest of what she said. But then she’s stepping back as Mal transforms into her dragon self. She watches as Mal takes flight, lifting off from the ground with her powerful wings. No matter how many times she sees Mal in this form, it always stuns her, how strong and beautiful she is.

But now she’s a little concerned about this strange dragon showing up in her town, and perhaps a little preoccupied with the fact that she’s Maleficent’s ex-girlfriend. She watches as Maleficent flies toward the green dragon, and Regina can’t understand what exchange must happen, but she watches Mal usher her toward the forest, just as she said she would.

Regina uses her magic to get to them, appearing in a cloud of purple smoke and feeling altogether small next to the dragons in the clearing. That passes quickly, replaced by something she isn’t sure she wants to put a name to. The dragons are nuzzling, the green one bumping her face against Mal’s, and the two make some sort of purr-like sound at each other. It’s nothing, Regina knows, this is how dragons communicate, but her gut twists a little, seeing Mal rub her muzzle against another dragon.

She doesn’t get to think about it long, because then smoke is swirling around each of the dragons, shrinking them down to human size. She sees Mal first, because she steps out of the smoke, walking toward her. The other dragon — and here Regina realizes she doesn’t even know her name — stays inside her cloud of smoke, waiting for it to clear. Regina doesn’t know anything about any of Mal’s exes besides Briar Rose, and she’s struck suddenly with how little knowledge she has about the people Mal loved before her.

And then the smoke clears, revealing the other dragon, and Regina is struck by something else entirely.

Maleficent’s ex-girlfriend is _gorgeous_. Regina can’t help but gape a little as she takes her in. She’s tall, about Mal’s height, with white-blonde hair that just brushes her shoulders and bangs that hang in her piercing blue eyes. The green dress she wears is crushed velvet, reminding Regina of some of her own dresses back in the Enchanted Forest, and it hugs her figure closely, like a second skin.

And then that woman is walking toward her — toward _Mal_ , smiling wide at her, and Regina feels that pang in her stomach again. It only grows worse when the woman exclaims, “Maleficent, my dear! It’s been an _age_ ,” and she has an accent, of course she does. It’s soft and lilting, and it _does_ things to Regina.

She embraces Maleficent then, presses a kiss to her mouth and it’s chaste, but intimate. It has Regina feeling awkward and possessive in turns, her palms itching with magic. Before she can say (or do) anything, the embrace is over, and both women are turning towards her. Mal’s expression is unreadable, whereas the other dragon tilts her head at Regina, as if she’s a thing to be studied.

Regina bristles a bit, stands up straighter and holds her head high under her scrutiny. “Hello,” she says, and perhaps she sounds a little more… Madam Mayor than Regina, if Maleficent’s pinched brow is anything to go by. “I’m Regina, the mayor of this little town. Who are you?”

The woman arches a slender brow, otherwise unperturbed by Regina’s attitude. “I’m Calida,” she says, a little stiffly, her posture straightening almost imperceptibly. Regina also doesn’t miss the way her eyes drag over her body, scrutinizing. “And where, exactly, is this little town?”

“Storybrooke, Maine,” Regina responds, and Maleficent is standing closer to her now, though she’s more in the middle than next to her. She’s staring at Calida, examining her with something that might be awe, and Regina hates the bile stirring in her gut just because of that look. It’s unfair, because she knows Mal loves her, and Mal hasn’t gotten to see another of her kind besides her daughters in decades because of her.

“And just where the hell is that?” Calida asks, her face pinching with confusion, and somehow she even makes a furrowed brow look stunning. But then she’s turning to Mal, still making that attractive, confused expression. “Do you have any idea where we are? And why is the fashion so… strange?”

She’s looking Mal up and down, like she had done to Regina, but Regina can see the glint in her eye even from where she stands. Her fist clenches when Calida adds with a smirk, “But I must say, you wear it well, my dear.”

“Things are quite different here,” Maleficent replies, and Regina wonders if she’s imagining the red coloring Mal’s cheeks. “We’re in the Land Without Magic, not the Enchanted Forest.”

Before Calida can respond, the rustling of leaves interrupt her and Regina turns to see who was about to stumble upon them in the forest. It’s Robin, Little John, and a couple of other Merry Men. Robin sees her and Maleficent immediately, calling out their names when his eyes land on them.

“I saw the dragon and then saw Mal fly over this way,” he explains, catching Regina’s hand in one of his own as he comes to a stop beside her. “I was worried.”

“We’re fine,” Regina says, perhaps a little sharper than she intends, but her gaze has refocused on Calida and the way she’s staring at Maleficent. Not to mention the way Maleficent is staring at _her_.

~ | ~

Regina leaves Maleficent with Calida, unsure of what else to do there, taking Robin with her to go get Thalia from Snow. Snow has questions, of course, wants to know about all the drama going down, but Regina has no answers beyond _she’s_ a friend of Maleficent’s and that everything is fine for now. It’s what she keeps saying. Everything is _fine_ , and it is. There’s not a crisis right now, but she feels on edge, like the peace might be broken at any moment.

She collects Thalia, kisses Roland and Henry on the head (murmuring to them that _no, you can’t leave school right now, everything is okay_ ), and then she’s walking out of the school with Robin following dutifully behind her.

She’s snapping Thalia into her car seat when Robin’s palm presses against the small of her back. Looking back at him curiously, she straightens up from the car and says, “What?”

“Are you all right, my lady?” he murmurs, his blue eyes studying her, searching.

“I’m fine,” she snaps, for what feels like the twentieth time so far, and she’s suddenly angry. No, not angry, frustrated. An itch she can’t reach, something prickling at her just out of her field of view, and she wants to lash out at it, but she can’t.

Robin is as patient as he ever is with her and her moods, and seeing him standing there, calm and unyielding to her sudden shift. He doesn’t say anything, waiting her out, and as he knew she would, she deflates, the wall dropping from around her.

“I don’t know,” she says, looking away from his gaze to their daughter, snoozing peacefully in her car seat. Robin reaches out, taking hold of her hand, squeezing it gently. A reassurance. “Did you know that Maleficent had an ex-girlfriend that was a dragon?”

God, it sounds so _stupid_ to say it like that, like when Henry talks about a girl he’s interested in. It makes her feel weak, and her mother’s voice is whispering in the back of her mind.

“No, I didn’t,” Robin answers as she knew he would.

“No,” she says, looking back at him. “I didn’t either.”

He bites his lip, and he’s studying her again, more intently this time. She doesn’t speak first, though, so he asks, “Does it matter?”

No, she should say. It doesn’t matter. It shouldn’t matter, because Maleficent loves them, and the proof is in the car seat right next to them, not to mention all the other ways Maleficent has shown it.

She can’t stop seeing Maleficent nuzzling against the other dragon. Can’t stop picturing the gorgeous blonde form of Calida out of her scales, and the way she embraced Mal. What did she say? _It’s been an age, my dear_. That’s what she kept calling her, _my dear_ , and Regina doesn’t know why it makes her palms burn, but it does, and so she drops Robin’s hand to ball her fingers into fists.

“You know everything about me,” she says suddenly, a non-answer to his question. “You know about Daniel, and about Maleficent after him. You’ve told us about how Marian was your childhood sweetheart. But do you know anything about who Mal was with before she was with us?”

Robin pauses, considering his answer carefully. She can see the wheels turning in his mind. “No. Only you, and Princess Aurora’s mother.” Regina opens her mouth, but he continues, “But I haven’t told you about every woman I’ve had an interest in, or a dalliance with. I don’t think you’ve told us about everyone you’ve been with, either.”

She makes a face, ready to protest, but then he’s grasping her shoulders, gently as he holds her gaze.

“No, that’s not what I mean,” he says, smiling softly at her. “You don’t have to tell us every person you might have slept with; neither does Mal. Perhaps that’s all that this Calida is, and it’s why she never mentioned her.”

She frowns, not at all convinced by that. She saw the way Maleficent looked at this other dragon, the way she reacted around her. This woman means something, she’s sure of it. To him, she says, “Maybe,” and leaves it at that, taking a look at Thalia one last time before she closes the car door. “Come on, let’s go find Mal and her old friend.”

They’re at Granny’s, it turns out, and Regina steels herself before walking through the diner’s door. Robin is carrying Thalia in her carrier, though he’s accosted almost immediately by Ruby the moment she sees the baby.

Regina pays her no mind, distantly listening as Robin and Ruby converse, but her attention is locked onto the way Calida is smirking at Maleficent. It’s innocent enough, the way they’re sitting across from each other as they converse over coffee, but Regina can see the way Calida’s eyes drift over Maleficent’s form. She can imagine it now, what Mal’s face must look like as she tells whatever story she’s telling, the way her eyes light up and her lips move, and her blouse probably gapes a bit as she gestures with her hands or shifts her shoulders. She knows how intoxicating it can be to look at Maleficent, so she probably shouldn’t blame Calida for how she’s staring.

She does blame her, quite a lot, especially when Calida casually slides her hand across the table, catching Mal’s and stroking her fingers, just for a moment. Calida chuckles, throaty and musical at the same time, and Maleficent turns her hand over to briefly tangle her fingers with Calida’s.

For the most part, Regina has become adept at controlling her evil impulses. Even though she wants to launch a fireball at the table, incinerate this dragon bitch where she sits, she takes a breath. Clenches her fist, lets the smoke rise from her palm and dissipate. 

It’s irrational, she knows. Maleficent would never, and Regina trusts her completely. She just doesn’t like unknowns, and Calida is a dragon-sized one.

“Shall I get us a drink before we join them, my love?” Robin asks from behind her.

“No,” she mutters, because she wants to get over there _now_. She strides over there, trying to school her features into something more pleasant. She reaches the booth, sliding into the spot beside Mal. Leaning in, she presses a kiss to her lips, reaching up to catch hold of her face so that the kiss lingers.

“Well, hello,” Maleficent says to her, her brow knitting a bit at the enthusiastic welcome. “Thalia?”

“With Ruby, of course,” she says with a little sigh, though really, she doesn’t mind the wolf’s fascination with their baby girl. She’s pretty damn adorable, so she can hardly blame her. “The moment Robin walked in the door with her.”

Robin sits on the edge of the seat across from them, smiling genially at Calida. “Hello,” he says to her, extending his hand. “We didn’t really meet back in the forest. Robin of Locksley.”

Calida’s ice-blue eyes cut toward him, a smirk that seems to be her signature on her lips. She looks at his hand carefully before sliding her own into his grip. The handshake is short, to the point, and she drawls, “Charmed. I’m Calida,” turning back to face Mal. “So tell me, my dear, what have you been up to? It’s been... what, at least a century?”

Maleficent ducks her head a moment, shy in a way Regina hasn’t seen her. “Yes, at least,” she confirms. “I’m much more interested in what you’ve been doing. Where have you been? How did you get here?”

“Oh, around.” She waves a dismissive hand, gracefully shrugging one shoulder in almost exaggerated nonchalance. “I did always like to travel. You know how it goes — you’re flying around, minding your own business, perhaps having some sort of argument with a sorceress and suddenly you’re diving through a magic bean portal, ending up who knows where.”

She laughs like she thinks they’ll join in, but Maleficent barely chuckles while Regina and Robin frown a bit.

“You just happened upon a magic bean?” she says, and Calida tilts her head, her gaze intense. She doesn’t back down, though, stares her right back as she waits for the answer.

“What, like they’re rare?” Calida blinks at her, as if she’s grown a second head, before turning back to Maleficent. “So that’s really all I know as far as how I got here. I’m still not entirely clear on where _here_ is. You said the Land Without Magic?”

Maleficent nods, and Calida tilts her head again, though her eyes are softer when she looks at Mal. (Regina’s hands tighten in her lap.) “So if we’re in the Land Without Magic, how come we have magic?” she asks, earning a more sincere chuckle from Mal this time.

“That’s… complicated.” She launches into an abridged version of the story, explaining the curse that brought them all here to start with, and then how Storybrooke has stabilized since, existing in its own little magic bubble within the realm.

Calida listens, rapt with attention, and Regina hates it. Hates how pretty she looks as she stares at Mal as she speaks, hates how it makes her feel like she doesn’t belong, that somehow she and Robin are intruding upon their time.

She can’t stand it, so she stands up suddenly, interrupting, “Mal, can we speak for a moment?”

Maleficent blinks at her, before nodding, following Regina from the table to the back of Granny’s. “Is everything all right, Regina?” she asks, and on instinct, Regina almost says _It’s fine_.

She bites that instinct down, literally holding her tongue until she can force the truth out: “No. It’s not. Who is that, Mal? You’ve never mentioned her before, and now she’s here, and I don’t — who is she?”

“She’s my ex,” she replies, though Regina’s glare has her quickly elaborating. “I have mentioned her before. Remember, the lover who made me…” She bounces her eyebrows suggestively, smirking a bit at the memory.

Regina remembers that night well enough, the night that she and Robin made her come so hard that she breathed fire, leaving scorch marks on the ceiling. It was undeniably hot, but she prickles at remembering how that was the first time Mal had mentioned a past lover. “What is she doing here, now?”

“I’m not sure. You know as much as I know about her sudden appearance.” Maleficent hesitates, and Regina studies her sharply to gauge her tentativeness. “Regina, what’s really going on here?”

She scowls, crossing her arms over her chest and gripping her elbows. “Nothing. I’m just concerned about a stranger in our town. People popping up that we don’t know is always a concern of mine, and this one is able to turn into a giant, fire-breathing lizard. Who knows what else she’s capable of?”

Maleficent stands straighter at that. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asks, voice clipped.

Distantly, Regina recognizes that she’s said something very wrong. There is a part of her screaming to reverse course, but instead she pushes on the pedal. “It means that I don’t know who the hell she is or what she wants with this town.”

“I’ve told you who she is—”

“No, you’ve told me she’s your _ex_ who you’ve barely even mentioned before now. I never knew she existed until you brought her up _once_ over pillow talk,” she snaps, well aware that she’s speaking louder than she should. She can’t seem to stop it now that she’s started. “Now suddenly she’s here, and what am I supposed to think and feel? Have you seen her? The way she looks at you? Do you know how you look at her?”

“Regina—”

“No. I don’t — God, Mal — I feel like — It’s as if I don’t know who you are right now.”

Maleficent stares at her, blinking in confusion, and Regina doesn’t know what to say, how to explain it. “I don’t understand,” Mal says slowly, blinking some more. “Where is this coming from?”

She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose, trying to rein in her emotions. “You have this whole secret life that I don’t know about, Mal. Robin and I have told you everything about ourselves, but there are parts of you that we didn’t even know existed.”

“Regina,” Mal starts, reaching for her hand only to have her pull away. “Please. You’re not making any sense. I’m very long lived, of course there are things you don’t know about me.”

“You could at least tell me about your past lovers! Especially when it’s blatantly obvious that she wasn’t some one night stand.”

Behind her, Regina can hear the uncomfortable noises of Granny’s patrons, shifting about in their seats and coughing. This is too public a place for this conversation, for this _fight_ (and how did they even get here? This wasn’t her intention at all). They should leave.

“I have to get out of here,” she mutters instead, tossing Mal the keys to the car. “Give those to Robin.” And then, she’s waving her hand, a puff of smoke whisking her away.

~ | ~

Maleficent knows that Regina can be mercurial at the best of times, but she’s completely baffled by this particular sudden outburst. Just as she’s considering using her magic to find where Regina’s gone, she turns around and almost runs into Robin, behind her. “Robin,” she gasps out in surprise, “I didn’t hear you approach.”

“You appeared very preoccupied,” he says with a gentle smile, and he’s reaching out to encircle her in his arms. She goes into them willingly, sinking into his embrace and wrapping her own arms around his back. “I overheard you and Regina.”

“Along with the rest of the diner?” she murmurs into his neck, inhaling the fresh, woodsy scent of him. It’s familiar, comforting. She lets it wash over her, hoping to soothe her nerves after her… disagreement with Regina.

Robin chuckles softly, one hand running a tender circuit over her back. “Yes, including your… friend, Calida,” he replies. He pulls back so that he can look at her. “Are you all right, my darling?”

“I’m confused. I don’t understand what’s gotten Regina so upset.”

He sighs and releases her, running his hand through his hair. “She seems to be taking Calida’s existence hard. I’m not sure why, but it upsets her.”

“She said she doesn’t know me anymore,” Mal whispers, as if Regina didn’t say it loud enough for everyone to hear.

“She’s upset. You know how Regina lashes out when she’s angry. She doesn’t mean it, not really,” he says, leaning forward to press a kiss to her forehead. “Let’s go get Thalia, and then we can go find Regina, and get this sorted out.”

Maleficent lets him lead her out of the hallway, though she refuses to look at any of the patrons — except for Calida. She sees her there, still sitting at the booth, her untouched cup of coffee still in front of her. The sun pours in from the window, catching on her white-blonde hair, and the halo effect is dazzling.

Touching Robin’s arm, she murmurs, “I’m sorry — I can’t just leave Calida. She doesn’t know anything about this place. Take Thalia home and find Regina. I’ll be there shortly, once I get her settled.”

She sees Robin’s brow furrow a bit, but then he’s nodding. “If you’re sure,” he says, and she promises again to be home as soon as she can. She kisses him to seal it. She walks with him to get Thalia from Ruby, taking a moment to hold her daughter and kiss her as well.

“Be home soon,” she tells Robin again, and he nods, giving her a peck before he leaves. Left alone now, Maleficent turns back to the booth Calida is seated at, and for a moment she takes her in once more.

It’s been, well, quite a long time since she last saw Calida, but she can still remember their affair with clarity. She was younger then, so much younger, and Calida had flown into her life just as suddenly back then as she had now. She had gone just as suddenly, too.

“Sorry about all this,” Maleficent says once she’s reached the booth again. “Regina isn’t usually…” She lets that sentence peter out, unsure of how to really describe whatever is going on with her right now. “Anyway. Granny’s also has a bed and breakfast attached, and I’m sure if I speak to her, she’ll let you stay in one of the rooms. She doesn’t really get many visitors.”

Calida smiles up at her as if nothing is wrong, as if this is completely normal. “Sounds lovely, my dear,” she replies, but doesn’t stand up. “What about you, where do you stay in this… quaint little place?”

“Oh, I live with Regina and Robin on the other side of town. Regina has a mansion — anyway.” She cuts herself off, finding it a little awkward to discuss Regina right now. “I’ll go speak to Granny about accommodations for you.”

It doesn’t take much to secure a room for Calida, and Maleficent leads her up there, opening up the door and showing her in. Calida, as she expected, is not very impressed with the tiny room, even though Mal promises the beds are much better in this realm.

“If you need anything, this is my number,” she tells her, writing it out, and then realizes Calida doesn’t know what a phone is. “Never mind; you can reach me via magic. I’ll stop by tomorrow, see if you’re settling in okay.”

An awkward pause as Calida looks at her expectantly.

“Well. See you then.”

“Leaving so soon?” Calida asks, raising an eyebrow at her. “We’ve not really had a chance to chat, and it’s early yet.” She produces a bottle of wine with a flick of her wrist. “I got us a complimentary bottle,” she smirks.

“Calida, you really shouldn’t steal in this realm,” Maleficent scolds, and usually, it’s Regina saying that to her. Or to Robin. Her heart throbs painfully, remembering how upset Regina was, and she should really get going.

“We’re dragons, my dear,” she replies, an almost bemused expression muddling her pretty features. “Stealing things for our own pleasure is what we do.” Another gesture of her hand, and two wine glasses appear in bronze-colored smoke, hovering in the air as she pours the wine.

A glass floats over to Mal, hovering temptingly in front of her.

“Have you forgotten that, Maleficent?” she asks, taking a sip of her own wine.

“No, but Granny is not someone to make an enemy of. Don’t let her age fool you; she’s a keen shot with that crossbow of hers.”

Calida laughs, carefree and unfettered, and it’s a beautiful sound. “Come on, Maleficent,” she says, wriggling her fingers so the floating wine glass bounces gently in the air. “Drink with me. It’s been so long, darling.”

“Tomorrow, Calida. You could come by the house, have dinner with us. But I must be getting home,” she tells her calmly, but with conviction.

“Hmm. To your _lovers_ ,” she smirks with a suggestive tilt of her head. “I am ever so curious about that arrangement of yours. I never expected that of you. And a baby! She’s yours?”

Maleficent smiles at the thought of Thalia. “She’s my second, actually,” she says proudly. Dragon procreation is quite complicated, not always successful, and so she thinks she’s allowed a bit of pride. “Lily, my first, was Regina’s, born before we left the Enchanted Forest. Thalia is Robin’s.”

“Congratulations, truly. We shall have to have a celebratory drink tomorrow, with this dinner that you’ve promised me,” she says, raising her glass in a mock toast.

“Yes, of course,” Maleficent murmurs, before taking her leave.

~ | ~

Robin bypasses the house entirely after the diner. He has a suspicion that Regina isn’t going to be there, and he doesn’t think she went back to her office either. He drops Thalia off at Lily’s apartment, asks if she doesn’t mind checking on her brothers after school, and then he leaves Regina’s car with her, instead preferring to walk to Regina’s vault. It’s a bit of a trek, to be sure, but even though he’s had plenty of time to adjust to the metal contraptions called cars (and he drives well enough that Regina trusts them with their children), he hates them almost as much as Mal does. He likes to walk, likes the physicality of it, and it’s a pleasant enough day for it.

More importantly, it gives him some time to think. His heart had been in his throat the moment a dragon appeared out of nowhere, knowing all too well how dangerous they could be. He certainly wasn’t expecting it to be someone that Maleficent knew, or that it would be someone she knew so well.

Clearly, Regina wasn’t either, and she’s not taking the revelation well.

In a way, he understands that. Maleficent has always been… not secretive, but not particularly forthcoming about her past. She seems to firmly believe the past is best left behind her, and perhaps it’s how she copes with having so much of it, that it’s best not to dwell on what might have beens or consider too many regrets. It’s one thing when that past is distant, ephemeral, and another when it’s standing right in front of them, physical (and, Robin couldn’t help but notice, beautiful).

Robin also considers himself observant enough, what with his trade being thievery, and so he wasn’t blind to Maleficent’s reactions to Calida. Or how Calida was clearly still interested in Maleficent, how ever things might have ended between them.

Calida means something to Mal, and it hurts to know she didn’t share that with them before now. So he gets where Regina’s anger and hurt might be coming from, but he’s concerned by her outburst.

When he comes to the vault, he carefully descends down the steps, peeking around the corner to look for her. “Regina?” he calls out, thinking it best not to surprise her.

“I’m down here,” she calls out, distantly, but he can still hear the hoarseness in her tone.

He recognizes the muffled, distant quality meaning she’s in one of the secret rooms, and he wanders down until he reaches the mirror. It opens for him, and she’s curled up on the bed, holding a pillow to her chest.

“Oh, Regina,” he murmurs at the sight of her, and it’s not lost on him that this is the room they first made love in. It’s the room she and Maleficent shared, too, years ago now when he was in New York and Maleficent had first returned. “My lady, why are you here instead of at home?”

“I needed space,” she says, sitting up and wiping at the tear tracks on her face. “I don’t know why I’m so…” She finishes with a groan, unable to think of a word for it.

“It’s been a bit of a day,” Robin concedes, stepping closer, waiting until she gestures for him to sit with her. She does, sliding over so he can sit down. He doesn’t immediately reach for her, deciding to hold off on that for now so that she doesn’t feel hemmed in.

Regina chuckles bitterly at that. “Yeah, I guess so,” she mutters, raking a hand through her hair. “Where’s Thalia?”

“Dropped her off with Lily. We’re fortunate that her big sister adores her so much,” he says with a little smile. Really, he loves seeing how Lily has grown since she first arrived in Storybrooke, the way she’s accepted them as her family after being so angry and hurt in the beginning. “She said she’d look after the boys, too.”

“We really are so lucky to have her,” Regina murmurs a bit wistfully, looking off into the distance. “I wonder if Mal would have ever told me about her, had circumstances not led to it.”

He sighs, looking down at the bedspread beneath them as she adds, “Considering all the other secrets she keeps, I mean.”

“I’m not sure you’re being very fair, Regina,” he says, glancing up at her. “The situations are hardly comparable.”

She doesn’t say anything, which is a form of progress, he supposes. It’s better than her arguing with him over it or something. He presses his luck, murmuring, “Do you think perhaps you should try talking to Maleficent again?”

Regina sighs this time, shaking her head. “I’m not sure that’s the best course of action,” she says. “I wasn’t too great at expressing myself the first time.”

“Not talking about it is not going to help matters,” he points out, though he can’t help chuckling at her eye roll. “Regina. Surely you don’t intend to never talk to her again?”

“Of course not!” It must be a good sign that she seems so taken aback by the idea. “I just need some time. I’m… worried. About what I might say.”

He leans in, pressing his forehead to hers. “Regina, nothing you say is going to make her stop loving you,” he reassures, kissing her softly. “You know that, hmm?”

“I can say some pretty terrible things when I get going,” Regina murmurs, but he kisses her again, stroking his thumb over her cheek. “I don’t want to push her away.”

“Then the way to do that is to talk to her. You know her instinct is to isolate herself.”

“I know. You’re right,” Regina sighs, brushing the tip of her nose against his and then pulling away. “All right. Let’s go home.”

~ | ~

Fortunately, it doesn’t take long before Regina and Robin return. She almost considers not meeting them at the door, but honestly, she’s too happy to hear that they’re back. Left alone with her thoughts for too long had her overly concerned that they might not come back to her, and seeing them actually in front of her soothes some of those worries, if not all.

It helps that Regina is holding their daughter, though their sons seem to have been left behind with their big sister. “Lily insisted on a movie night,” Regina says by way of explanation, an uncertain sort of smile on her face. “And somehow I let Robin talk me into saying it was okay.”

“That might be a bit of an exaggeration, darling,” Robin grins, reaching for Thalia and taking her out of Regina’s arms. “I merely suggested we might enjoy an evening alone, after the day we’ve had.”

Once Regina is free, and the chances of Thalia getting caught in the crossfire of her embrace, Maleficent steps forward and wraps her in a hug. Regina returns it immediately, and a bit more of Mal’s worry melts away.

“Hello, little one,” Mal murmurs into her dark hair, breathing her in.

“Hi,” she whispers back. When she pulls out of the hug, reaching up to brush back one of Mal’s curls, she adds, “I’m sorry. I… might have overreacted.”

“Let’s not talk about it now, hmm?” Mal says, taking hold of her hand and squeezing. “I’ve made dinner for us.”

“Should I get Mushu’s on the phone for takeaway?” Robin jokes, and Maleficent reaches over to lightly swat his arm.

“I’ll have you know it turned out just fine this time, thank you.”

“Hmm, and how much magic did you use?” Regina asks, raising a knowing eyebrow at her.

“Not nearly as much as I usually do,” Maleficent sniffs, and just like that, things almost feel normal again.

They eat dinner together, taking turns holding Thalia and feeding her, and it’s like any other night, really. A bit quieter without the boys, but familiar nonetheless. She volunteers to put the baby to sleep, letting Robin and Regina handle cleanup since she cooked for a change. When she comes back downstairs, baby monitor in hand, Robin and Regina have moved into the living room, bringing a bottle of wine and glasses with them.

“I must say, Mal, you really outdid yourself with dinner,” Robin says, offering her a glass once Regina has poured.

She beams a bit, proud of her accomplishment, as she takes the glass and sits down in one of the cream-colored plush chairs. “Thank you,” she says with a raise of her glass and then takes a sip.

For a moment, they sit in silence, comfortable at first but slowly turning awkward. The things left unsaid from the day begin to pool in the middle, oozing out to the corners of the room. They look at one another, and then look away, studying their wine or a particularly fascinating bit of lint on the sofa.

And then Robin sighs, sitting forward with his elbows on his knees, wine glass cupped in his palms. “How about we go upstairs?” he suggests, taking the initiative by downing his glass of wine and standing up.

Maleficent and Regina regard one another, a little confused by Robin’s sudden proposal, but they stand in unison, prepared to follow. “Should we bring the wine?” Mal asks, and he pauses.

“Actually, stay down here for a bit. Finish your wine, give me about ten or so minutes, and then come up,” he says, smiling at them a little mischievously.

He’s clearly got a plan of some sort, and after a moment, Maleficent and Regina both nod and sit down. They watch him leave, suspicious of what he could be thinking up.

“How concerned do you think we should be right now?” Mal asks, mostly joking, but also curious.

Regina hums thoughtfully. “Probably more so if he went to the kitchen, but less so since it’s just the bedroom.”

She nods in agreement, and then takes a sip of her wine. They’re silent again, and it’s deafening really, so she takes a gulp of wine this time and looks directly at Regina,. “Okay,” she says, setting her glass down on the coffee table, “Tell me what’s going on.”

“I’m as in the dark as you about whatever Robin’s planning.”

“You know that’s not what I was talking about.”

Regina sighs, setting down her own glass and crossing her arms. “Robin said you stayed at the diner with Calida,” she says instead.

“I helped her get a room at Granny’s,” Mal replies with a roll of her eyes. “If you want to call that staying with her.”

She purses her lips, drawing them into a thin line, and this time Mal is the one sighing.

“Regina, I just wanted her to be settled. She’s in a strange world, she has no where else to go…” Mal pauses, considering what she wants to say next, and then charges on anyway, “It’s not as if I stayed behind to have a quickie before coming home.”

That is an absolutely terrible thing to say, but Maleficent finds she just couldn’t stop herself. Despite Regina’s apology earlier, it’s clear she’s still bothered by Calida, and Mal can’t understand it. She’s not used to seeing this side of Regina, this jealousy, and for the life of her, she can’t fathom why Regina’s behaving this way.

“Wouldn’t have surprised me, given how you were staring at her,” Regina grumbles in response, though Mal can hear her perfectly.

“I wasn’t _staring_ at her,” she protests, except that might be a bit of a lie. It’s just a shock seeing after so long, and so unexpectedly. After the way she had walked away all those years ago, Mal never thought she’d truly see Calida ever again, and then suddenly she’s here in Storybrooke, of all places.

Regina scoffs at that, raising one eyebrow.

“All right, maybe I did stare a little,” Maleficent allows, “But only because of how long it’s been since I last saw her.”

“Well, I wouldn’t know, since the only thing you’ve ever told me about her is that she made you come so hard you breathed fire.”

She wonders if Regina realizes how petulant that sounded, or if she cared at this point. Mal doesn’t even fully understand why they’re arguing, and really, she doesn’t want to fight again so soon after the last one. She thought things were going so well earlier, but it’s obvious Regina’s still upset. Instead of responding, and prolonging the argument, Maleficent glances at her wristwatch and says, “I’m going upstairs to see what Robin has planned.”

~ | ~

Regina watches Maleficent walk away after downing her wine glass, and for a moment, she just sits there and stews. She knows she should drop it, or at least try _talking_ to Maleficent instead of being angry and letting that anger speak for her. It’s easy enough to think that, but instead she sees the dragon forms of Maleficent and Calida purring at each other, or their human forms smiling at one another, or Calida’s hand reaching out for Mal’s and Mal _taking it_ , and her hackles raise.

She’s just being childish and possessive, and she despises each in equal measure. It makes her think too much of her marriage to the King, and Mal deserves better than to be treated like that. She loves Mal too much to treat her like that.

Taking a deep breath, she counts to ten and then exhales, trying to let that anger out with it. Standing up, she heads upstairs, pausing a moment to look in on Thalia before making her way to their bedroom. The door is already open, so she walks straight in and immediately stops, gasping a little at the sight.

Robin has undressed, leaving only his shirt and boxers, and he’s currently helping Mal disrobe as well. That’s not really what catches Regina’s eye (though the sight is very enticing). What she really notices is the stripped bed, the lit candles, the soft jazz music playing in the background. She looks back to Robin and Mal, watches as Mal’s blouse drifts to the floor, her trousers joining it as he helps her out of them.

“What’s all this?” Regina manages to say, breath catching in her throat.

Robin looks up at her, smiling softly. “Tensions are a bit high right now,” he says, “I thought we could use a nice relaxing night.” He gestures to a bottle of oil on the nightstand, his gentle smile turning a bit mischievous. “A massage sounds nice, doesn’t it?”

It does, really, when she thinks about it, and she wonders how Robin knows them so well, knows just what they need on a night like this. “Mal first,” she suggests, because she’s already undressed, and because she thinks Mal needs it the most. She needs a bit of pampering, and truthfully, Regina wants to help provide some of that intimacy for her right now.

Mal, completely naked, lies down on her stomach while Regina strips off her own clothes, leaving just her bra and panties on. She can’t resist reaching for Robin, just for a moment, pressing her forehead to his and then stealing a gently passionate kiss.

“Love you,” she murmurs against his lips, punctuating it with a brush of her nose against his. She enjoys the way his eyes crinkle at the corners, how smitten he looks even in this supercharged moment.

Kneeling on the bed next to Mal, she starts first with a gentle caress down her back, touching her, reassuring her and herself. She’s here, this is real, it’s true. She bends down, planting a kiss to the nape of her neck, breathes _I love you_ into her skin, and then she’s sitting up, reaching for the oil.

A bit of magic has the bottle pleasantly warmed, so that when she drips some onto Mal’s back, it’s not a shock. She starts at Mal’s shoulders, spreading the oil over her skin first, and then she begins to knead. Nice and gentle at first, more focused on warming her up than properly massaging right now. She shifts around, moving so that she’s kneeling over her, knees on either side of her hips, and she pushes her hands up Maleficent’s back, a bit firmer now.

Mal hums under her touch, and then twitches a little, squirming beneath her.

Looking over her shoulder, Regina sees Robin at Mal’s feet, starting to massage her there. “You’re not usually ticklish,” she remarks softly to her, and Mal chuckles.

“Wasn’t expecting it,” she explains, wriggling her toes. “He surprised me.”

“Mm. He’s quite good at that.” She smirks at Robin, who smiles and bites his lip, the sight almost distracting her from Mal’s muttered quip, _One of his many talents_.

Regina forces herself to look away from Robin, remembering what she’s supposed to be doing. This is about Maleficent at the moment, not her own desires, and she very much wants to do this for her. So she refocuses, finding a knot at Mal’s shoulder and starting to gently work it out. She moves rhythmically, seeking out the tensions Mal is holding in her body, but also stroking her, caressing her. It’s not just about relaxing her, it’s about connecting with her, bridging the gap that’s formed between them.

She loses track of time, paying attention only to the way Mal shifts and hums beneath her, almost purring with every stroke. She’s aware of Robin moving, too, the way he’s working Mal’s legs, starting at her feet and then kneading her calves, moving up her thighs. She can feel him nearer to her as as he brushes against the backs of Mal’s kneecaps, his fingers going quite soft as he trails them up her thighs, drawing a shaky sigh from Mal.

Regina shifts then, moving next to Mal instead of kneeling over her, giving Robin a bit more room to work. For something that’s supposed to remove tension, the air becomes charged as they continue to touch and stroke. They never give up the pretense of massaging her, though, even as Regina’s hands knead from the small of Mal’s back to the globes of her ass, and Robin pays more attention than is strictly necessary to her thighs.

Mal pants, a breathy moan escaping her, and Regina can’t resist slipping her fingers down and between Mal’s legs, just a small, questing touch. As she expected, her fingertips come away wet, and that’s when she murmurs, “Turn over, Mal.”

Another moan, and then Mal flips over onto her back, revealing the aroused flush coloring her chest. Her breathing is careful, but quicker than usual, and her eyes are hooded as she looks up at Robin and Regina.

“Relaxed?” Robin asks her, his hand running a gentle circuit over the top of her calf.

Mal releases a little chuckle in a puff of air, nodding her head. “Yes, actually.”

“Just relaxed?” Regina teases, playing unfair as she lets her fingers count Maleficent’s ribs, coming to rest just under her breasts.

“I didn’t say that,” she replies, licking her lips.

Regina smiles, sliding her hands away from Mal’s breasts and biting her tongue to stop her laughter when Mal lets out a noise of protest. She smooths her fingers down Mal’s torso, stroking down to her pelvis and then circling back up her sides. She diverts around Mal’s breasts once more, instead turning her attention to one of her arms.

Mal groans, digging her head into the mattress beneath her. “Damn tease,” she mutters, her breathing heavier now.

“This is supposed to be about relaxation, Maleficent,” Regina reminds her primly, delicately massaging her wrist and hand, taking her time. Riling Mal up is fun, but she’s not really intending for this to be about sex. She wants to take care of Mal, to center her after the day they’ve had.

Not that Mal seems like she would mind it to be about sex, as she grumbles, “I can think of a way to relax,” punctuating it by lifting her hips suggestively, her legs spreading a bit so Regina and Robin can see her glistening center.

Robin in particular gets a good view, working on her thighs as he is, though he very carefully keeps his fingers away from her more sensitive areas. Instead, he kneads the meat of one thigh, allowing his grip to move down toward the inside and up, tantalizingly close to where she wants but never touching. And then he switches legs and does it all over again, as Regina switches to her other arm.

~ | ~

Maleficent feels like she might be dying. She’s not sure she’s ever went from so relaxed that she’s almost asleep to this level of turned on so quickly, but here she is, lying back as her lovers continue to touch her everywhere but where she wants them most. She feels sluggish almost, the evening taking on an almost dream-like quality during her massage. Robin and Regina haven’t let up in their attentions, keeping her on edge while everything in her body feels boneless at the same time.

She whimpers, hips twitching, as Robin’s fingertips brush over her kneecap. Her nerves are alight, so sensitive to every little touch that everywhere is an erogenous zone.

“Shh, love,” Robin says softly, grasping her knee more firmly. “We’ve got you.”

As if it’s that simple. Mal can’t help but chuckle, a sort of hiccup-y, stuttering laugh while Regina shifts above her until she’s straddling her abdomen. Regina’s hands slide down her sides, fingers splayed wide across her ribs, and Mal writhes for her.

Regina bends down, her long dark hair spilling over her shoulders and tickling Mal’s skin, sending a shiver through her. “We love you,” Regina says a breath away from her mouth, and then she’s kissing her, tongue pressing past Mal’s lips and coaxing them open. The kiss is deep, but languid, much like their hands still touching her skin, but finally Regina’s hands cup her breasts, avoiding her nipples.

The kneading pressure is exquisite, Mal arches desperately into her grip, but it’s her nipples that ache for the attention. Regina knows this, of course she does, and studiously avoids them, swallowing Mal’s whining moan.

Not to be forgotten, Robin returns his attentions to Mal’s thighs, stroking them, fingers dancing over her skin, perilously close to her wet center but never touching her there, either. It’s torturous, being caught beneath them like this, and Mal practically sobs when Robin bends down to her inner thigh, sinking his teeth gently into her skin.

Regina sits up then, releasing her mouth as Robin leaves love bites up and down her inseam, and she smiles down at her. “You’re so beautiful,” she says softly, still kneading her breasts, cupping and squeezing and holding them together, admiring the sight before her.

“R-Regina.” She’s not sure if she’s moaning, or begging, or crying — or all of the above. “ _Please_.”

An expression flashes across her face, something of the Queen coming out in her, mischievous and powerful before she softens back into Regina. “All right,” she soothes, dotting a kiss to the tip of her nose. “Enough now.”

Her thumbs strum across her nipples, and Mal bites her tongue to hold back her sharp cry. Fuck, it’s like lightning arcing through her body straight to her swollen clit, and she bucks underneath Regina, unable to control herself. She reaches for her, instinctively grasping at Regina’s thighs, digging her fingers into her skin as Regina changes from strumming to gripping her nipples, squeezing them between her fingers.

Mal has the wild thought that she could come like this, though she’s almost certain that she can’t. Her clit is throbbing, aching for some sort of relief, but Robin is still biting her thighs instead, every nip of his teeth sending a countering shock through her as Regina plays with her breasts. She feels caught in midair, tossed by wind currents and never allowed to fall, safe and loved but so fucking aroused that she could scream.

Robin releases her thigh, the mark he left behind throbbing deliciously, she can feel all the marks he must have left on her pulsing in time to her racing heart, and then he presses the palm of his hand to her center, cups her with just enough pressure on her clit as her hips buck and jerk.

She comes breathlessly, almost silent as she gasps for air that has abandoned her now, body twitching and trembling as her orgasm washes over her in bursts. She loses track of all time as she comes, pleasure rolling over her in staccato waves until finally, it releases and she collapses into herself.

Slowly, she becomes aware of Robin pressed to one side of her, and Regina on the other, both of them holding her as she twitches. Her body feels leaden and feather light all at once.

“You with us?” Robin murmurs into her hairline, pressing a soft kiss there, and Mal manages a thick _Uh-huh_. “You sure about that?”

Not really, but it takes too much effort to say that, not to mention he does sound a bit too smug. Answering him like that would only encourage it, and Mal’s not sure she wants to encourage this. Even if it was a mind-blowingly good orgasm.

Then again, talking at all is difficult at the moment, and Robin seems to take her silence as answer enough, chuckling at her.

Mal swallows, then swallows again because once wasn’t enough, and says, “I’m not tense anymore, at least.”

“Good,” he murmurs, kissing her without heat before he’s raising up, moving over her until he’s on the other side with Regina. 

She watches the two of them as they kiss, takes in the way they move together in such synchronicity. They’re beautiful together in more ways than one, more than just the physical attraction she feels for both of them. It’s moments like this that Maleficent feels their soulmate bond more than anything else, these moments of total intimacy where they don’t even have to speak, and Robin slides inside of Regina and Regina gasps, her neck and back arching as her hips move to meet him, and Mal is almost breathless herself as she watches.

Robin kisses Regina’s chest, her collarbones, his hands seeking out hers and linking their fingers as he moves faster, thrusts harder, and Maleficent reaches for them then. She stretches out her hand, holding hers on top of Robin’s and Regina’s clasped hands, feeling the way they’re already trembling. Regina looks up at her, somehow holding her eyes open as Maleficent squeezes her fingers around their hands as best she can, and then Regina’s mouth tumbles open, a sharp pleasured gasp escaping her.

Mal watches her through her climax, the way her eyes go wide and then she can’t keep them open, slamming them shut as the orgasm tremors through her. Robin groans, sliding his hand from underneath Mal’s and reaching for Regina’s face, cradling her cheek as he kisses her, muffling another loud moan as he comes.

She keeps holding Regina’s hand, watching her in the afterglow. And then, when she’s waited so long she thinks both of them might be asleep, she says, “I invited Calida to dinner.”

In another circumstance, it might have been comical how quickly Regina’s eyes popped open and her peaceful expression shifted to something more distraught.

“You what?” Regina asks, though her tone makes it clear that she heard Maleficent the first time. She doesn’t even let Mal answer, doing that herself. “You invited your ex-girlfriend _to dinner_.”

Her tone also made _that_ clearly not a question, but Mal responds to it anyway, with a simple, “Yes,” to confirm.

Regina pulls her hand away, rising up on her elbow and clasping the sheet over her breasts as she stares at Mal. “Why would you do that? What would even make you think that was a good idea?”

“I really don’t understand this,” Mal says, not answering her question. “Do you trust me so little that you think I’d throw away what we have just because someone from my past was here?”

She doesn’t say anything, doesn’t even so much as shift a muscle, but her eyes go flinty in a way that Maleficent takes as her answer.

That makes Mal sit up straight, tense and uncomfortable, that amazing, relaxing massage long forgotten now. “Really?” she murmurs, her world shifting on its axis, some gravitational force thrown off as a fundamental part of their relationship seemingly doesn’t exist. “You don’t trust me?”

Everything about Regina shifts as she suddenly reaches for her, saying, “No, no, that’s not it at all.”

Mal withdraws, shaking her head. “What else could it be, then?” she asks, and her voice is soft, and hurt.

For a moment, Regina doesn’t respond at all. She looks away, not meeting Mal’s eyes, staring down into twisted hands as she says, “I know you’re still in love with her.”

“Of course I am.” She’s not even going to try to deny it, because why would she? She has no reason to, she has nothing to hide about this. “I… Calida was very special to me. I think I’ll always love her. There are… there are many people in my past that I think I will always care very deeply for, that I’ll always love. It’s in my nature. But the love that I have for her is different from how I love you and Robin _now_ , and I would have thought you’d understand that. Surely a part of you still loves Daniel? As a part of Robin must still love Marian?”

Regina winces at that, a quiet, pained gasp escaping her, and then it’s Robin drawing in a sharp breath of realization a few moments later.

“Oh, Regina,” he murmurs, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Is that what this is all about? What I did to you?”

“I know it’s ridiculous,” she says quickly, as if she’s trying to convince herself even more than she’s trying to convince them. She turns to Robin, then, grasping his hand where it rests on her shoulder. “I don’t want you to think I still blame you for any of that—”

“Don’t you?” he asks, but not with any heat. He’s resigned, apologetic even. “I hurt you — I hurt _us_ so badly because of my—”

“Because of _my_ sister,” Regina interrupts fiercely. “Because she wanted me to hurt, to suffer, and she didn’t care if she had to manipulate you to do it. It wasn’t your fault — but it still hurt, and I can’t help but think of it now when another ex-lover has come to town under mysterious circumstances.”

“Do you think Calida is Zelena in disguise?” Mal asks, and Regina sighs.

“No.”

“Then that leads us back to you not trusting me.”

“ _No_.” Regina scowls, shaking her head. “That’s not it. Of course I trust you.”

Mal sighs. “I don’t know what you want from me here, Regina,” she says, a tad forlornly. “I understand why you’re feeling the way you do, given what’s happened in the past. But where does that leave us? Should I avoid Calida for however long she’s here? For forever, if she never leaves?”

Regina doesn’t answer, and so Mal presses on, “I don’t want to hurt you, even unintentionally. But… I would like to be able to see Calida. To talk to her, to… maybe put things to rest that were left unsaid between us all those years ago, when I last saw her. It’s been so long since I’ve seen her, since I’ve had any interaction with another dragon. So I’m not sure how you want to handle this.”

For several minutes, Regina is silent. She looks over her shoulder at Robin, who is watching her as intently as Mal is, and then she sighs. “You said you invited her to dinner?” she asks.

“Yes. Tomorrow night.”

Regina nods once. “All right. Let’s have dinner together.”


End file.
